"Most granites will be fine outdoors, but they will fade over time."

karin_mt:

Is the stone fading or is it the resin in the stone that was applied at the factory that is failing from UV light degradation?

I've seen some resinated exterior slabs in Las Vegas that looked like they were cooked. The built up edges were toast.

It's both, Joe. The stones themselves fade - but in a benign way. The colors just become less intense. Good point about the resins, because those can turn dreadful colors, or dry out, or who knows what. That's a good thing to add to best practices for shopping for outdoor stone - look for something with minimal or no epoxy on the stone or on the edges. Get something as natural as possible.

Does that make sense? To you?

We agree.

Afraid I can't answer your question, but that is a beautiful slab. Hope it gets Karin's blessing.

It might be Saturnia, which is a type of schist. You'll want to proceed with caution with that one because it can contain large flakes of mica, which can flake off and shed after fabrication. The edges can be problematic, too. But it depends how large the mica flakes are and how much mica there is compared to the rest of the rock. Have a really close look at the slab and be sure to talk with the fabricator about this one. I'd give it a 'yellow light' overall. Definitely worth pursuing, but carefully.

Here's more about schist:

http://usenaturalstone.org/schist-happens-get-know-brilliant-stone/

Carolyn,

My installer used DryTreat Stain Proof. You can get this on amazon. A few others here have chimed in that Miracle Sealants 511 Porous Plus is good too. I have not heard of the one you are using but I am sure you can research on Amazon.

Maybe KarinMT will have some other suggestions.

I actually don't know that much about the cleaning and sealing products, so I'm glad you chimed in, BoxerPal.

But you are on the right track Carolyn, you definitely want to be proactive in sealing it, and yes, you want to clean it first and get the soap out. OldRyder and Joseph Corlett are seasoned fabricators that can give better advice than I can.

Carolyn, that's a nice gneiss! It won't etch, so it's something else that's causing the rings. I'd get it clean, and then seal it. You've got two nice stones in your house - both of those are among my favorites.

Kevin, a non-polished finish is a good idea. It's not that it's stronger, but it will look better.

With a polished finish on schist, the mica edges tend to stick up conspicuously. I'm pretty sure the same thing happens with other finishes too, but it's less noticeable so it's not as much of a problem. But the stone can't be made smooth, so think about if that's something that would bother you or not.

Fabrication may well be tricky because if there are distinct layers of mica, the stone can break there. But all stones are pretty solid once installed. Watch out for large mica areas near the edges, particularly if there is a band of mica that runs parallel to the edge and is unsupported from underneath.

Carolyn, those counters are gorgeous! I am not sure either about the silver cloud rings but I am sure your installer might have ideas. Good luck and enjoy your stone.

Hi Karin, having issues with what is supposed to be mercury grey quartzite. Issue is that the quartzite keeps staining. Fabricator has sealed a couple times on-site (in our home) and stains still occur. Is this typical of quartzite or might we have some "bad" slabs? Installer says that issues like ours happen on occasion but we're not sure what to believe. Are there different densities of quartzite? Slabs passed the scratch tests. Thanks.

Me again. The first pic is olive oil. The second is water that penetrated the fissures after only 10 minutes.

govner , there is also a chance these slabs were treated with acid solution in the country of origin to remove any rust, and because of the acid wash it opened pores and now much more susceptible to staining; well, I recommend you or your stone fabricator looking with Stone Fabricators Alliance (they have a Facebook page) on how to treat your stone. Thank you,

Hi Govner, sorry for my late reply. Yes, there are different porosities of quartzite, and it looks like your is somewhat porous. That's odd-looking that the stone is absorbing liquids along those scratches. Are those natural? Are they cracks, or scratches? Hard to tell from the photo.

Either way, if the stone is staining even after being sealed a few times, that's a problem. Hopefully the fabricator can give you some advice. If it's happening just along the cracks, maybe some epoxy or filler might help.

Sorry that happened and I hope you can get it resolved!

More info on quartzite porosity: http://usenaturalstone.org/properties-of-quartzite/

We like Dolce Vita or La Dolce Vita, but have seen it marked Marble and Quartzite at different wholesalers. We will try the scratch test, but generally, is Dolce Vita appropriate for a large kitchen island?

Hello!

My my husband and I love Namib Fantasy, and would like to use it for our kitchen counter tops; however, we are confused about whether the stone is quartzite or marble. One manufacturer says it’s marble, the other quartzite. It scratches glass, but not as deep as our current granite tile countertops. Are you familiar with this product? Pic included below

What could cause a normal glass cup to leave a ring stain on storm shadow quartzite? Is this the fault of the material, or something else?

What was in the glass?

Did you test the stone to see if it's actual quartzite?

Need more info before I can even venture a guess. Thanks!

I was told it was club soda in the glass. The stone looks etched in a thick circle like from a cup. A stone company used acetone on it and buffed it a little, and it almost completely disappeared. We did not test the product beforehand. I am just curious if this is a known defect with the material, or if it's because we weren't careful enough. Thanks for responding!

If club soda etched the stone, it's most likely not real quartzite. Marble would etch from that, but quartzite should not. It's pretty common that marbles are incorrectly labeled as quartzites.

But acetone won't affect etching one way or another, so that's an added mystery.

I have one more question, if we sometimes see streaks on the countertops, what causes this and what can prevent it? Does it have to do with the cleaner, or with the paper towel being used? Or could this be again, that it's not quartzite. Thanks again!

Hmm, most likely the streaks are from something on the stone's surface. It could be a cleaner interacting with a sealer, or a cleaner leaving residue, or paper towels - anything like that can cause streaks. I might try a common dish towel instead of a paper towel. In this case, it's not likely that the stone itself is causing streaks.

Thanks so much!

I'm thrilled to have found this thread...so much good information. We're looking for

information about "Blue Garden" from Brazil. Lots of movement, large dark crystals (pyroxene?), some gold and black flecks (biotite, muscovite?), some bluish minerals. It's very dramatic and pictures don't do it justice. Any thoughts?

Hi Karin,

Thanks so much for all this great information!

I have been trying to find out what Costa Esmeralda (from Italy) really is. We just had it installed as our countertops and I want to know how to care for it. Online it is described as granite or quartzite, but a stone guy who came to our house said it was a dolomite. Since I have a geology degree (relatively unused unfortunately) this piqued my interest and kind of bummed me out since dolomite isn’t nearly as durable. Can you help identify my pretty green countertop?

Thanks!

Hi!

I'm not exactly sure what Costa Esmeralda is. It has quite a lot of quartz in it, plus a green mineral that I'm not sure of. Maybe a green feldspar, maybe pyroxene, or something else. It's igneous, and it's really hard.

It's definitely not dolomite! I think it's a great stone, and I bet you'll love it.

Thank you so much!

Wow, those videos are impressive. No hot pots on granite OR quartz!

Thanks Diana! I wanted to help the other folks out there by contributing these videos. Yup, my wife was right, its best to use a hot pad under all our pots and pans!

Very interesting videos. Wonder how quartzite would survive in that test?

speedlever:

There are no exceptions to the Natural Stone Institute's recommendations that trivets be used with all natural stone. There isn't even a soapstone exception.

Since trivets are recommended by the natural stone trade association and engineered stone and solid surface manufacturers, that makes them all equal in the heat resistance department, practically speaking.

Carolyn Venne, I put Sea Pearl quartzite in my kitchen in 2013 $6500. It was given 1 coat of sealer and that is it. I used the leathered side of the slab. Seven years later...no stains. Once or twice I saw a greasy spot on the island when my husband made his beloved deep fried catfish. I guess he had put a utensil on the counter that had been in the hot oil. Dawn and a soggy cloth left on the spot overnight brought it right out. I have found dried on mustard, coffee, etc, and everything came off. The only thing I would worry about is lemon juice or vinegar...something like that.

I love my quartzite for kneading and rolling out dough. No need for a marble pastry board. It does get very cold in the winter though, but that would happen to every stone slab.

Arcobaleno Quartzite -Santucci, Italy

We found some Sea Pearl remnants and plan to use that for a surround for a new fireplace insert (direct vent). Meanwhile, our Lavezzi quartzite should finally be installed within the next couple of weeks. This project has been a long time coming.

I wish I could find remnants where I live. I really wish I could find Sea Pearl backsplash tiles, but they would be as thick as the slab. I love the Sea Pearl, but matching it with a tile is tough.

Yeah, 1.25 inch thick tiles might be hard to deal with. I had a roommate in college with the last name Yohe. From PA, I believe.

I think there are many of my husband's ancestors from PA. Not too many where I live. I never say the name when someone needs to write it down. I just spell it. Thankfully, it only has 4 letters.

I can see trying to put 2" quartzite slab tiles on a backsplash! Carpal tunnel!

I am looking for rocks for my hall bathroom, upstairs bathroom, master half bath, and master bath. I have not been able to test any of the quartzite but I will when he digs them out.

The first two pics...are they both Viscon White?

Unknown marble. They called the first one Carrera, but I don't think it is.

Can anyone identify them?

Quartzite, but I have not checked. He couldn't remember the first one.

This next picture he called Stormcloud Quartzite, but since he couldn't remember the other stones' names, he may be wrong. It reminds me of Fantasy Brown with the sparkles. No brown at all. At one angle, it almost looked lavender in parts.

I wonder if this one is Shadow Storm instead.

We finally got our renovation off the ground in late January this year. This site and Karin_mt were extremely helpful to us as we worked to choose the right countertop for our kitchen and bath. We ended up with a quartzite called Lavezzi. We're nearing the end of the process but still have some odds and ends to complete... missing the bullnose tile (backordered), and a few other things. Here's a pic showing the Lavezzi in our kitchen with the new floors and cabinets. We're pretty pleased with the countertop and how it works into the overall theme of the kitchen.

New:

Old kitchen (as we packed it up)

Speedlever, your kitchen is beautiful! Taking out that bulkhead made a big difference. Your quartzite is gorgeous. The veining reminds me of macaubus but it’s much lighter than mine.

Peke, your first two pics look like viscon white, which is a granite. I have it in my kitchen and I love it. Up-thread, about a year and a half ago I had some marks on it that had me concerned. All I did was give it a good scrub with bar-keepers friend and a blue scotchbrite sponge and it all came out. It’s a worry-free stone. I can’t tell what the other stones are in your pics so hopefully others will chime in. 😊

Thanks, CC. One of the Viscont White had a huge section of black so I wasn't sure. I like the other one better. I think it may be too dark for my bathrooms though so I may go with the others.

Karen, are you on here?

Hi Karin,

Hopefully you can help. I’ve put a deposit on this slab which I was told is white princess quartzite. Now I’m starting to read all the information and have a feeling that it’s dolomite. I called the sales rep today and asked him if it was dolomite, he said every place calls it differently

Wow, that salesperson gave you a really lame answer to an excellent question. I'd seriously consider shopping elsewhere if this person can't even bother to learn the basic properties of stone.

At a bare minimum, I'd see if you can get a sample to test. If they won't give you one, I'd suggest looking for something else. Good luck!